THE government has called upon experts from sectoral ministries to implement the National Environmental Policy of 2021 in order to have a stable management of the safe use of modern biotechnology for the sustainable development of the country.
This was said by the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Vice-President’s Office (Environment) Dr Switbert Mkama when opening a workshop to promote awareness among the experts regarding management of the safe use of modern biotechnology on Thursday in Dodoma.
Speaking on behalf of the Permanent Secretary in the Vice-President’s Office Mary Maganga, Dr Mkama said it is important to build the capacity of institutions and promote community awareness about this technology to ensure relevant authorities benefit in the relevant sector and reduce the possibility of any impact on human health and the environment.
He said that the experts have the responsibility to provide appropriate advice on these issues, so that the government, based on the country’s priorities and interests, reaches decisions on the use of this technology in any sector in the country.
“In order to ensure the safe use of modern biotechnology in the country, the government has prepared and put in place various tools for the management of this technology, including the Environmental Management Act of 2004, the National Biosafety Framework 2007, the Rules for the Safe Use of Modern Biotechnology in 2009 and its amendments in 2015 and Biosafety Guidelines and Mannuals 2010,” he said.
In addition, he noted that Tanzania is a member country of the International Convention on Biodiversity Conservation, which has three main objectives, including Biodiversity Conservation; Sustainable use of biodiversity and proper distribution of benefits resulting from the use of biodiversity.
He added that Tanzania ratified this agreement in March 1996, in order to be able to cooperate with the international community in implementing these goals.
Also, he said article 19 of this agreement specifies the importance of member countries to create an enabling environment to use modern biotechnology for sustainable development.
On his part, Prof Peter Msolla, the Chairman of the Biotechnology Association in Tanzania said that the workshop is important because it brings together various experts to exchange ideas so that at the end of the day, they can make productive decisions.
He said that biotechnology is not new, it is an old industry that has been changing over time and is not very different from the production of crops in a traditional way, but the biggest difference is the time of results.
“We need more discussions about management of the safe use of modern biotechnology to be able to make the right decisions,” the Director of Environment Division in the Vice-President’s Office, Dr Andrew Komba said.
